AS JUNE 19 WORLD SICKLE CELL AWARENESS DAY APPROACHES, COLLABORATIVE OF 47 COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND MEDICAL PROVIDERS PREPARE TO 'SHINE THE LIGHT ON SICKLE CELL' FOR SEVENTH YEAR

COMMUNITY ACTION CAMPAIGN TO ILLUMINATE COMMUNITIES, RAISE AWARENESS, CALL FOR A UNIVERSAL CURE IN SUPPORT OF SICKLE CELL WARRIORS

Historically African American Sororities And Fraternities Phi Beta Sigma, Omega Psi Phi, And Sigma Gamma Rho Lend Their Voices, Networks To Raise Awareness

Landmarks, Stadiums, And Public Buildings Will Glow Red

PHILADELPHIA, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the June 19 World Sickle Cell Awareness Day approaches, a collaborative of 47 community-based organizations and medical providers from across the Northeast United States prepares for its seventh annual Shine the Light on Sickle Cell campaign. What began as a regional collaboration has become a national and international movement, uniting communities in support of sickle cell warriors, raising awareness of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), and advocating for a universal cure.

The Sickle Cell Improvement in the Northeast Region through Education collaborative, or SiNERGe, will lead events, activities, and landmark illuminations in June to amplify their message. The campaign is part of the HRSA-supported Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Project. While SiNERGe's project region includes New England, the mid-Atlantic, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Shine the Light on Sickle Cell now extends beyond the region to Atlanta, London, and beyond. A hallmark of the campaign, landmarks, stadiums, and public buildings illuminate in red, the symbolic color of the blood cell, in the days leading up to, on, and after June 19.

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is the most common genetic disorder in the United States, affecting 100,000 individuals nationwide, one-third of whom reside in the Northeast United States. An additional 2 million Americans carry the Sickle Cell Trait. The disorder disproportionately affects individuals of African and Caribbean descent. Patients—often referred to as sickle cell warriors—face numerous health complications, including stroke, acute chest syndrome, and chronic organ damage, that lead to a significantly reduced life expectancy compared to the general population. There is currently no universal cure for SCD, and the need for improved access to care and research advancements is critical.

"We are in a moment of real progress with advances like gene therapy and bone marrow transplants offering new hope to people living with sickle cell disease—transformative treatments that can significantly reduce complications and improve quality of life," said Dr. Sophie Lanzkron, Director of the Division of Hematology – Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research at Thomas Jefferson University. "But we must also recognize the barriers—cost, access, and the need for lifelong care. These are complex therapies that require support and informed decision-making. Shine the Light on Sickle Cell is about bringing visibility not only to the promise of a better future, but also to the people and innovations needed to get us there."

Over the next two weeks, dozens of buildings and landmarks will glow red in support of sickle cell awareness, including:

• Baltimore, MD: Bromo Seltzer Tower, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, M&T Bank Stadium and Camden Yards Warehouse (courtesy of the Maryland Stadium Authority and Baltimore Ravens)
  
  
• Camden, NJ: TRIAD1828 Centre
  
  
• Maryland/Washington, DC Metro: University of Maryland Medical Centers, Capital Region in Bowie, Largo, and Laurel
  
  
• Newark, NJ: City Hall, Krueger-Scott Mansion, and Source of Knowledge Book Store
  
  
• Philadelphia, PA: Ballroom at the Ben, Boat House Row, Bulletin Building, Cira Center, City Hall, FMC Tower, Franklin Square, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Lits Building, PECO, Symphony House Condominium, and 3151 Market Street
  
  
• Wilmington, DE: Nemours Estate Water Tower
  
  
• Outside the SiNERGe region: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia International Plaza, Symphony Tower, 1105 West Peachtree Street (Atlanta); King and Queen Buildings (Sandy Springs, GA)

Additionally, SiNERGe CBOs are set to engage their local communities in various activities (most of which are free to attend), such as information sessions, candlelight vigils, blood drives, awareness walks, including:

• June 13
  • World Sickle Cell Day Event with educational materials, handouts, giveaways, snacks, and opportunities to leave messages of support and encouragement at ChristianaCare Wilmington Hospital
• June 14
  • Shine the Light on Sickle Cell Awareness Gala hosted by the Sickle Cell Advocates of Rochester
• June 17
  • Warrior Strong virtual storytelling event hosted by T.H.R.I.V.E. Sickle Cell Disease
• June 19
  • "Shine the Light on Sickle Cell and SiNERGe" presentation by the Sickle Cell Coalition of Maryland, Inc. during the World Sickle Cell Day Marathon hosted by the Cayenne Wellness Center
    
    
  • Summer Sickle-tini Happy Hour, a summer soirée with a mission, hosted by the SCDAA National Headquarters in Maryland
    
    
  • Juneteenth Block Party With A Sickle Cellabration with a learning presentation on current services for Sickle Cell Disease, hosted by the Sickle Cell Advocates of New Jersey
    
    
  • World Sickle Cell Day Blood Drive and Sickle Cell Support Group Celebration hosted by the Sickle Cell Warriors, SCTPN Buffalo Chapter
• June 23
  • 17^th Annual World Sickle Cell Day Celebration hosted by the Sickle Cell & Thalassemia Patient Network

This year, three of the Divine Nine historically African American sororities and fraternities – Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. – will join SiNERGe by lending their voices and networks to shine the light on sickle cell disease.

Show your support by wearing red and join the conversation about Shine the Light on Sickle Cell using #shinethelightonsicklecell2025.

SiNERGe Community-Based Organizations and Medical Providers (by state):

Connecticut
SCDAA – Connecticut Chapter*
University of Connecticut 

Delaware
Christiana Care
Sickle Cell Association of Delaware 

District of Columbia
Faces of Our Children 
Hemog.l.o.w.bin
Sickle Cell Association of the National Capital Area Inc. 

Maine
Newark Beth 

Maryland
Armstead-Barnhill Foundation for Sickle Cell Anemia
Association for the Prevention of Sickle Cell Anemia Inc., Harford and Cecil Counties and the Eastern Shore*
Christopher Gipson Sickle Cell Moyamoya Foundation
Eastern Shore of Maryland Sickle Cell Association
Johns Hopkins University
Maryland Sickle Cell Disease Association*
Project Spirit Sickle Cell
Sally's Sunshine Foundation
Sickle Cell Coalition of Maryland
William E. Proudford Sickle Cell Fund Inc. 

Massachusetts
Boston University
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts Sickle Cell Disease Association* 

New Jersey
Donna T. Darrien Memorial Foundation for Sickle Cell
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Sickle Cell Association of New Jersey*@ 

New York
Candice's Sickle Cell Fund^
Children's Hospital of Montefiore
New York Sickle Cell Advisory Network
NYC Health + Hospitals
Sickle Cell Advocates of Rochester^
Sickle Cell Awareness Foundation Corp International
Sickle Cell Thalassemia Patients Network*@
Sickle Cell Warriors of Buffalo^
Westchester Sickle Cell Outreach 

Pennsylvania
Children's Sickle Cell Foundation Inc.*#@
Crescent Foundation@
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Chapter*#@
South Central Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Council*#
University of Pennsylvania 

Puerto Rico
Anemia Falciforme Sickle Cell Disease en Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico 

Rhode Island
Patient Action Committee 
Rhode Island Hospital 

U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Croix Cancer Specialists 

Vermont
University of Vermont 

Virginia
Sickle Cell Association Inc.*
Virginia Commonwealth University 

West Virginia
CAMC Institute for Academic Medicine 

*Chapters of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA)
#Members of the Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Disease Providers Network (PASCDPN)
^Affiliates of Sickle Cell Thalassemia Patients Network (SCTPN)
@HRSA Newborn Screening Grantees 

About Shine the Light on Sickle Cell

Shine the Light on Sickle Cell is an annual community awareness campaign to celebrate World Sickle Cell Awareness Day on June 19 as proclaimed by the United Nations in 2008 and to advocate for a universal cure. Shine the Light on Sickle Cell is led by a collaborative of 47 nonprofit, community-based organizations in the Northeast United States whose aim is to increase awareness of Sickle Cell Disease and advocate for treatments and better outcomes for individuals with the disease. Learn more at Shine the Light on Sickle Cell.

Media Contact

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